Winnipeg man hasn’t been able to use shower in a month after leak led to bathroom full of debris

A Winnipeg man hasn’t had full use of his bathroom in a month after a ceiling leak despite repeated efforts to contact his property company to have the issue resolved.

Rick Dingley lives at 42 Hargrave St. He noticed a leak in his ceiling the weekend of Dec. 8 and 9.

“It was coming down pretty good. I had a good sized mop pail. I’d take a shower and I’m getting rained on afterwards with dirty water,” said Dingley.

Dingley told CTV News he called his property company, Armour Property Management on Monday, Dec. 10 and said he was directed to the company’s maintenance department.

“Tuesday morning they tell me a guy’s coming down to look. He punches a hole in my ceiling, tells me I have a leak. Says somebody will be back later,” said Dingley.

Dingley said a plumber showed up at the end of the week and told him he was dealing with a rusty connection. Dingley was left with peeling paint on his walls, a bathtub full of drywall and other debris, and dust and broken drywall covering much of his bathroom.

That’s how Dingley’s bathroom remained until Jan. 8, nearly a month after he initially called about the issue. A maintenance person showed up to remove debris and continue work on the ceiling and walls.

Due to drywall dust in his sink drain and ongoing repairs to the tub area, Dingley said he still can’t use most of his bathroom. He’s been driving across the city to friends’ homes to use the shower.

“Over Christmas I had no shower, no way to clean myself. I’m using the kitchen sink,” said Dingley.

“Just fix it. I think it’s a necessary tool to have a shower in your life, you know?”

Armour Property Management showed CTV News its service log for Dingley’s apartment. The first entry date is Dec. 27. The leak in Dingley’s apartment was coming from a crack in the copper in the suite above Dingley’s, and according to Armour’s log that was fixed on Dec. 29.

CTV News presented Armour with a number of texts and emails from Dingley to the company’s maintenance staff, including an email from Dec. 12 which reads: “I’m curious as to when my bathroom will be looked after? This is my 3rd day with no shower.”

In a statement Friday, Mike Romani with Armour Property Management wrote, “The ball was clearly dropped on our end. The service log was not flagged in the system correctly and work was delayed because of it. Operator error was the issue and sadly this can happen. “

Romani went onto write, “We are offering him a newly renovated suite to move into and his suite would be fully renovated, we have also credited back 50% of his monthly rent for the inconvenience.”

CTV News has not received a response as to whether Dingley’s rent will go up in the renovated suite. No date was provided for when his bathroom will be fully functioning.